The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society want Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell to replace Karen DeSalvo as National Coordinator for Health IT should she continue to split her duties between ONC and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health.
In a letter sent to Burwell on Nov. 3 and made public last Friday, leaders from both organizations expressed concern that, with a rapidly growing list of health IT issues, part-time leadership would not be adequate.
On Oct. 23, ONC announced that DeSalvo was stepping down as National Coordinator to serve as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health at the behest of Burwell. Five days later, amid a maelstrom of criticism, a post to the Health IT Buzz blog said that DeSalvo was not leaving ONC, and instead would maintain her leadership of the organization while also serving at OASH. The latter position was referred to as a "deployment."
"If her appointment as the Assistant Secretary for Health is intended to be of a duration which would result in her quickly returning to full-time leadership of ONC, we welcome that approach," CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell and HIMSS President and CEO H. Stephen Lieber write in the letter. However, they add, "if Dr. DeSalvo is going to remain [at OASH] with part-time duties in health IT, we emphasize the need to appoint new ONC leadership immediately that can lead the agency on the host of critical issues that must be addressed."
The letter also urges Burwell to fill all vacant ONC leadership positions "as soon as possible." Deputy National Coordinator Jacob Reider announced his impending departure shortly after the DeSalvo announcement on Oct. 23, while four other leaders--Doug Fridsma, Judy Murphy, Lygeia Ricciardi and Joy Pritts--have also left the organization since July. Thus far, ONC has only found a permanent replacement for Pritts--who served as Chief Privacy Officer--in Lucia Savage.
To learn more:
- here's the letter (.pdf)